It is possible, in a variety of circumstances, for a vehicle operator to over-accelerate a vehicle or for the vehicle to otherwise enter a state of non-optimal acceleration. Excessive, unnecessary, or otherwise non-optimal acceleration may occur as a result of driver behavior, vehicle load, vehicle operating conditions, or a combination of these and/or other factors. Excessive, unnecessary, or otherwise non-optimal vehicle acceleration tends to reduce fuel economy and may cause increased wear on one or more of the vehicle powertrain components over time. Consequently, instances of non-optimal acceleration are likely to be a concern to vehicle owners, drivers, and manufacturers of the powertrain and/or driveline components (e.g., engine, transmission, drive wheels, etc.).
Prior art systems that focus on the use of engine parameters, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,370, to Bellinger et al., have proven to be difficult to integrate with automatic transmission control systems to effectively manage vehicle acceleration.